Why do some people hate free verse poetry?
It depends on what they dislike about it, and why. Some people who aren’t well-versed in poetry might feel it’s not actually poetry, because they can’t recognize the poetic structure in it. Others (primarily pseudo-intellectual snobs) feel it’s an “inferior” form of poetry. They usually offer little rationale for this. These are the same people who claim nothing more recent than the 19th century could ever possibly be a classic. And then there’s the fact that many amateurs butcher the free verse form. These writers think that simply writing down a bunch of drivel and calling it “free verse poetry” makes it so, when this is not true. Again, these people are not well-versed in poetry and do not realize that there are in fact rules and structures in free verse. The problem is that free verse is more complicated than just writing something down, and then seperating it into shorter lines. Free verse has a rhythm and often incorporates other poetic elements (repitition, alliteration, etc.).
